Hotel lobby with translucent separator wall between common spaces and fitness center

ABSTRACT

A hotel having a fitness center having a separation wall defining at least one perimeter portion of the fitness center; and a registration desk for the hotel located opposite the separation wall, the separation wall being at least partially translucent.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/603,556 (Attorney Docket No. 91845-831035 (004300US)), filed on Feb. 27, 2012, the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Hotels are establishments that provide lodging, meals, entertainment, and various personal services for the public. Many modern hotels include full service restaurants, swimming pools, fitness centers, business centers, childcare, conference facilities, and social function services. Most modern hotels include a fitness center. An issue with the fitness center is safety, or at least perceived safety or privacy for patrons, particularly in off-peak hours. Often, a hotel guest may feel uncomfortable working out in a fitness room with only one other person. In the later hours of the day or the earlier hours of the morning, when the fitness center may have little traffic, a hotel guest may find himself or herself working out with only one other person. This sharing of a room without supervision or the comfort of others may be uncomfortable for some guests.

Although security measures can be taken, such as having a camera in a workout area, the camera may not provide the same comfort as having fitness personnel or other individuals present. However, due to the light traffic during these times and the need to limit hotel costs, it is not practical to place hotel staff in the fitness center.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In accordance with the embodiments, a unified lobby and fitness center is provided. A separator, such as a glass wall, is placed between a registration lobby, or other location where hotel staff is positioned throughout the day and night, and a fitness center. As an example, a glass wall may be provided between a registration desk and a fitness center. The glass wall may be made at least partly translucent so that people won't have a full view of people working out in the fitness center, but the people in the fitness center working out have the comfort of partial visibility by hotel staff that is present at the registration desk. In this manner, a single individual can work the registration desk and provide in-person supervision and/or comfort for guests working out in the fitness center.

In embodiments, a separator wall includes strips of decoration, such as colored, translucent sheets, on a transparent wall. The transparent wall may be, for example, plate glass. The translucent sheets cause the transparent wall to be translucent, or partly translucent. The translucent wall provides partial visibility to individuals within the fitness center as well as visibility out of the fitness center, but unlike a fully transparent wall, does not create a fishbowl effect for the guests in the fitness center.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hotel lobby in accordance with embodiments; and

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the hotel lobby, shown adjacent to a fitness center in accordance with embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.

In accordance with embodiments, a hotel is provided with a fitness area separated from a common or staff area by a translucent or partially translucent wall. The staff or common area may be, for example, a kitchen, bar, a registration area, a media area, a game area, or other well-travelled areas of a hotel. In accordance with some embodiments, the area opposite the fitness center from the separator wall is commonly staffed by hotel staff. If the fitness center is open 24 hours, the fitness center is preferably adjacent to an area that is staffed 24 hours, such as a registration desk.

Although described is a translucent or partially translucent wall, a transparent wall may be used. However, such a wall may make a hotel guest in the fitness center feel as if that guest were in a fish bowl. An option would be to have a translucent or opaque wall at a lower portion and a translucent or transparent wall at a higher portion. In this manner, hotel guests using fitness centers can see out the top portion of the wall, but are protected from full view by the opaque or translucent bottom portion of the wall.

The use of a translucent separator wall between a common or staffed area and the fitness center can provide the perception to the hotel staff of not being in a confined space with other patrons of the fitness center. That is, because the guest can see out, and can see out into an area where there are typically other guests and/or hotel staff, the guest in the fitness center may not feel the discomfort of being confined with a stranger. The ability to see into a common area may give that guest the comfort of being in a supervised or highly trafficked area. This perception may persist even though no one is actually on the opposite side of the wall; the ability of hotel staff or others to view through the separator wall may provide comfort in of itself

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a hotel lobby 20 in accordance with embodiments. The hotel lobby 20 includes a registration desk 22 adjacent to a work station 24. The work station 24 may be, for example, for hotel guests to use for working on computers or reading newspapers, for example.

The registration desk 22 is an area of the hotel where hotel staff receive guests. A concierge and/or a checking clerk may be positioned behind the desk. Computer monitors or other equipment may be provided for the registration process. Typically, in a hotel setting, the staff is positioned behind the desk during most waking hours, such as from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. or later. Hotel staff is typically available in the general vicinity of the registration desk 24 hours a day, and during the latest part of the night a hotel staff member may be close to, but not immediately behind, the registration desk.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, there is an area 26 behind the registration desk 22 in which hotel staff stands when providing services at the registration desk. On the opposite side of the area 26 from the registration desk 22 is positioned a fitness center 28. In the embodiments shown in the drawing, the fitness center 28 is a room having exercise equipment (not shown) or other workout facilities. The fitness center includes an entrance door 30, three walls 32, 34 and 36, and a separation wall 40. The separation wall 40 and the walls 32, 34, 36 enclose the fitness center 28.

In embodiments, as described above, the separation wall 40 is formed of a translucent or partially translucent structure. As an example, the separation wall may be a transparent wall fully or partially covered by translucent panels. For example, the separation wall may include colored film on a clear plate glass wall. Alternatively, the separation wall 40 may be formed of tinted glass, or another suitable structure which allows at least partial transmission of light. In either event, the separation wall 40 provides a structure between the fitness center 28 and the registration desk 22. The structure in embodiments provides partial or limited visibility between the registration desk 22 and the fitness center 28. In this manner, a hotel guest in the fitness center may feel the comfort of hotel staff and other guests that are outside the fitness center 28 and in the area of the registration desk 22, but not feel that those individuals in that area are looking directly into the fitness center.

In the embodiments shown in the drawing, a series of translucent films 42, 44 are placed as vertical stripes on the separation wall 40. In the embodiments shown, the separation wall 40 is a plate glass, and the films 42, 44 are two different colors, such as light and dark green. The films 42, 44 are arranged in a pattern so that they look much like a forest, and thus provide an aesthetically-pleasing appearance. Moreover, the films mostly cover the plate glass of the separation wall 40, thus limiting visibility of individuals outside the fitness center 28 into the fitness center. However, enough visibility is provided such that hotel guests within the fitness center 28 do not feel as if they are isolated or could be subject to an uncomfortable sharing of the fitness center 28 with only one other hotel guest.

Although the films 42, 44 in the embodiments shown, FIG. 1 is provided in one decorative manner, and many other arrangements could be provided, including a checkerboard pattern, stripes, dots, or other decorative features.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hotel, comprising: a fitness center; a separation wall defining at least one perimeter portion of the fitness center, the separation wall being at least partially translucent; and a registration desk for the hotel located opposite the separation wall.
 2. The hotel of claim 1, wherein the separation wall comprises a translucent or opaque bottom portion and a transparent or translucent upper portion.
 3. The hotel of claim 1, wherein the separation wall is a transparent wall comprising decorations.
 4. The hotel of claim 3, wherein the decorations comprises translucent material.
 5. The hotel of claim 1, wherein the fitness center is located behind the registration desk, with an area between the separator wall and the registration desk for hotel personnel.
 6. The hotel of claim 1, wherein the separation wall comprises a plate glass wall.
 7. The hotel of claim 6, wherein the separation wall comprises translucent films on the plate glass walls.
 8. The hotel of claim 7, wherein the transparent films comprises at least two different colors.
 9. The hotel of claim 7, wherein the films cover a majority of the plate glass wall.
 10. The hotel of claim 7, wherein the films cover most of the plate glass wall.
 11. A hotel, comprising: a fitness center; an area of the hotel that is commonly staffed by hotel personnel; and a separation wall between the fitness center and the area, the separation wall being configured to provide partial or limited visibility between the fitness center and the area.
 12. The hotel of claim 11, wherein the area comprises a registration desk.
 13. The hotel of claim 11, wherein the area comprises at least one of a kitchen, bar, a registration area, a media area, or a game area.
 14. The hotel of claim 11, wherein the separation wall comprises an at least partly translucent section.
 15. The hotel of claim 14, wherein the separation wall comprises a translucent or opaque bottom portion and a transparent or translucent upper portion.
 16. The hotel of claim 15, wherein the separation wall is a transparent wall comprising decorations.
 17. The hotel of claim 16, wherein the decorations comprises translucent material.
 18. The hotel of claim 11, wherein the separation wall comprises a plate glass wall.
 19. The hotel of claim 18, wherein the separation wall comprises translucent films on the plate glass walls.
 20. The hotel of claim 19, wherein the transparent films comprises at least two different colors. 